FCA US LLC today began operating its new $63 million stamping press at its Warren Stamping Plant. The new press line will increase capacity by about 3.6 million parts per year.
“The good news is that we needed to increase our stamping capacity because FCA keeps selling more cars and trucks,” says Brian Harlow, vice president of manufacturing for FCA North America, referencing the 69 straight months of year-over-years sales increases in the U.S. “From the standpoint of our manufacturing operations, the new Servo Tandem line will help us meet this upsurge in demand.”
The Warren Stamping Plant provides parts stamped from sheet metal including hoods, roofs, liftgates, side apertures, fenders, and floor pans for vehicles such as the Chrysler Town and Country, the Jeep Cherokee, and the Chrysler 200, among others.
Warren Stamping will also support the launch of the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, which is scheduled to start production in the first quarter at the Windsor Assembly Plant.
Harlow says it has been more than 15 years since the last press line was installed at the 65-year-old facility. The new 180-inch press line will increase capacity up to 12,000 hits per day. Harlow says the Servo Tandem Press improves reliability, while reducing energy usage. He says the press’s servo drive allows for 100 percent programmable control. It also allows for die changes more frequently and quickly, in about four minutes as compared to 20 minutes with older presses. Construction on the new press line began in the spring 2014.
Since June 2009, FCA US has invested more than $5.3 billion in its U.S. manufacturing operations to upgrade facilities and increase capacity. Of that amount, more than $1.8 billion has been spent in Michigan.
